Above:
Utah Republican delegates force Mitt Romney into a primary election with state lawmaker Mike Kennedy in the race for the U.S. Senate
Who is Mike Kennedy? As usual, we expect Wikipedia to give us a general idea, and generally they are up to the minute in updating their profiles. Not so today.
Bragging rights: A month ago I registered on Wikipedia and thus was able to be a contributor. This morning I made my first edit, the last entry below is mine.
When District 27 incumbent Republican Representative John Dougall ran for state auditor and left the seat open, Kennedy was selected as one of two candidates from five by the Republican convention for the June 26, 2012 Republican primary which he won with 2,586 votes (52.9%)[6] and won the November 6, 2012 general election with 14,335 votes (92.1%) against Constitution candidate Scott Morgan.[7]
Kennedy attracted media attention when in a meeting of Utah's Health Reform Task Force (as an argument against the state expanding Medicaid) he cited examples of medical malpractice as evidence that "access to hospitals" was killing people.[8] During the 2014 general election, Kennedy faced Democratic nominee William McGree, winning with 6,997 votes (88.4%).
During the 2016 legislative session, Kennedy served on the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee, the House Health and Human Services Committee, and the House Political Subdivisions Committee.[9]
On March 9, 2018, Kennedy distributed a letter to members of District 27 announcing that he would not seek re-election for the Utah House of Representatives. He instead opted to run for the U.S. Senate, winning a place in the June primary against Mitt Romney.
On April 22, 2018, Kennedy came edged out Mitt Romney at the Republican Convention with 50.88%. Romney came in a close second with 49.12%. Kennedy will now compete with Romney in a primary set for June 26. [10]
Mitt Romney fails to secure Utah GOP nomination, will face primary
This is what Romney’ s primary challenger had to say after he beat Romney:
"This is terrific for the people of Utah, and I really want to thank the delegates who stayed so late to give me the kind of boost that I got here today," Romney said, standing on the convention floor after the proceedings were adjourned. "We're going to have a good primary."
Kennedy, who had framed the race as David vs. Goliath, said when asked why he had edged out Romney in the vote that he wasn't sure.
"I don't know," Kennedy said when asked why he thought his message appealed more to delegates than Romney's. "I don't know -- it's just my message."
"We've got 60 days to reach out to as many voters as we can."
From what I can tell looking at Kennedy’s legislative initiatives he is a typical conservative. For example, he proposed that approximately 7.7 acres of the northeast corner of the Utah State Developmental Center campus to be leased for commercial purposes in accordance with the master plan.
As a medical doctor and a lawyer it makes sense that he would be involved in health-related legislation, and as a Utah conservative he wouldn't be supportive of making health care more accessible:
“Kennedy attracted media attention when in a meeting of Utah's Health Reform Task Force (as an argument against the state expanding Medicaid) he cited examples of medical malpractice as evidence that "access to hospitals" was killing people.[8] “
. This bill for example:
12 ▸ exempts certain health care sharing ministries from regulation by the Utah Insurance
13 Department; and
14 ▸ requires an exempt health care sharing ministry to disclose to an individual applying
15 for participation in the health care sharing ministry:
16 • that the health care sharing ministry is not health insurance and does not
17 guarantee or promise that medical bills will be paid; and
18 • the conditions under which the health care sharing ministry may refuse to pay
19 medical bills or cancel an individual's participation in the health care sharing
20 ministry.
Romney’s bid for the seat was endorsed by President Trump and retiring Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). Aside from this, I can’t find any reporting about whether or not Kennedy took a position on Trump or his policies. It remains to be seen as this race gains national attention and voters are polled prior to the actual primary whether Romney’s complete about-face when he wanted to be Trump’s Secretary of State after saying this led to his losing:
“Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He’s playing the members of the American public for suckers. He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat.”
Romney was shown no mercy in the liberal media when he went on bent knee and kissed Trump’s ring — or whatever --- when he wanted to be Secretary of State.
Depending on how Romney and Kennedy run their campaigns and whether Trump becomes an outspoken endorser of Romney, this could be yet another indication of whether Trump is losing support among conservatives.
Sunday, Apr 22, 2018 · 3:24:50 PM +00:00 · HalBrown
United States Senate election in Utah (Democratic primary)
A Democratic Party primary election takes place on June 26, 2018 in Utah to determine which Democrat will earn the right to run in the state's November 6, 2018, general election.
As of April 2018, 4 Democrats are running for the seat. This page focuses on the Democratic primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here. Given no Democrat has represented Utah in the U.S. Senate since 1977, the Democratic primary is not expected to be competitive. Incumbent Sen. Orrin Hatch, who was first elected in 1976, won his last bid for the seat in 2012 by 36 percentage points. Jenny Wilson, a member of the Salt Lake County Council, reported raising the most of any Democratic candidate through the third quarter of 2017 with nearly $300,000 in receipts.[1] LINK
Democrats